Wedding season is almost here! It's time to lay out a few quick tips that will ensure your high end transportation is a success. We're going to go over four tips that will help avoid the duds in the limo bus industry and connect you with the perfect vehicle(s) for your needs.
(1) Make sure you are getting a vehicle that is big enough for your group. If you've ever been in a 10 passenger limo you know that only 8 adults fit comfortably in there. The majority of companies will do anything to book your business, including lying about the size of their vehicles. As a rule of thumb, subtract 5-6 from whatever the company says the vehicle fits. Limotainment's Large White Limo bus is known as a 32 passenger throughout the limo industry but we'd never recommend over 27 passengers for a wedding without telling the client it will be tight.
(2) Make sure you listen to recommendations and reviews. There are plenty of review websites out there but most are not useful. Your best source is asking friends and family who have had great personal experiences with companies. The next best source of referrals is Yelp (the majority of Google reviews are fake and made by website owners to show up higher on Google search engines). When looking at Yelp be sure to look through the filtered reviews of the company (scroll to the bottom of the reviews and click on "other reviews that are not currently recommended"). There are companies out there that pay Yelp to remove their terrible reviews. If you have any concerns about something you read about the company, ask the owner or person on the phone about it.
(3) Watch out for farm out companies! The main reason for the wedding horror stories you've heard is due to farm outs. A farm out company has a website and sells services of vehicles they do not own. They may own 2 vehicles and advertise they own 20. Farm out companies will book your business and sell them to other companies for a cut of the sale. You can see how this could lead to problems, you will have no idea who you're working with because you booked with a middleman. The vehicle probably won't be what you saw in the pictures, the limo bus might be an old run down piece of garbage, the company might have terrible drivers & customer service, they might not show up on time or the vehicle could be too small. Worse case scenario, the company they sell the job to books another last second job for more money and they all of a sudden have a "break down" and never show up. This happens all the time.
(4) Ask the question to avoid the farm out companies. The way you avoid the craps shoot of a random company on your wedding day is to say: "What's the address of your lot? I have a completely open schedule and would like to see your vehicles in person." If you ask to see the vehicles in person they are not going to lie to you about where they are if they have them. If they are farming it out and give you an address to go to you can at least meet the company you're actually booking with to alleviate some concerns.
Hopefully this helps in all of your searches, good luck with your wedding planning!
Mike Yonk
CEO and founder of Limotainment LLC, The Premier Chicago Party Bus Company.
Specializing in: Chicago Wedding Transportation, Chicago Corporate Transport, Party Bus for Prom & School Dances, Bachelor & Bachelorette Parties, Deluxe Tailgates, Chicago Concert Transportation and any other Chicago Limo Bus needs.
(1) Make sure you are getting a vehicle that is big enough for your group. If you've ever been in a 10 passenger limo you know that only 8 adults fit comfortably in there. The majority of companies will do anything to book your business, including lying about the size of their vehicles. As a rule of thumb, subtract 5-6 from whatever the company says the vehicle fits. Limotainment's Large White Limo bus is known as a 32 passenger throughout the limo industry but we'd never recommend over 27 passengers for a wedding without telling the client it will be tight.
(2) Make sure you listen to recommendations and reviews. There are plenty of review websites out there but most are not useful. Your best source is asking friends and family who have had great personal experiences with companies. The next best source of referrals is Yelp (the majority of Google reviews are fake and made by website owners to show up higher on Google search engines). When looking at Yelp be sure to look through the filtered reviews of the company (scroll to the bottom of the reviews and click on "other reviews that are not currently recommended"). There are companies out there that pay Yelp to remove their terrible reviews. If you have any concerns about something you read about the company, ask the owner or person on the phone about it.
(3) Watch out for farm out companies! The main reason for the wedding horror stories you've heard is due to farm outs. A farm out company has a website and sells services of vehicles they do not own. They may own 2 vehicles and advertise they own 20. Farm out companies will book your business and sell them to other companies for a cut of the sale. You can see how this could lead to problems, you will have no idea who you're working with because you booked with a middleman. The vehicle probably won't be what you saw in the pictures, the limo bus might be an old run down piece of garbage, the company might have terrible drivers & customer service, they might not show up on time or the vehicle could be too small. Worse case scenario, the company they sell the job to books another last second job for more money and they all of a sudden have a "break down" and never show up. This happens all the time.
(4) Ask the question to avoid the farm out companies. The way you avoid the craps shoot of a random company on your wedding day is to say: "What's the address of your lot? I have a completely open schedule and would like to see your vehicles in person." If you ask to see the vehicles in person they are not going to lie to you about where they are if they have them. If they are farming it out and give you an address to go to you can at least meet the company you're actually booking with to alleviate some concerns.
Hopefully this helps in all of your searches, good luck with your wedding planning!
Mike Yonk
CEO and founder of Limotainment LLC, The Premier Chicago Party Bus Company.
Specializing in: Chicago Wedding Transportation, Chicago Corporate Transport, Party Bus for Prom & School Dances, Bachelor & Bachelorette Parties, Deluxe Tailgates, Chicago Concert Transportation and any other Chicago Limo Bus needs.
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